#110 hit musicals that have NEVER been revived on Broadway
Posted: 9/5/09 at 3:25am
Here are 10 shows that were major hits in their seasons - some won Best Musical at the Tonys - but for whatever reason these have never had full-fledged Broadway revivals (though a few have had limited runs at City Centre or New York City Opera...)
1. KISMET - Tony winner for Best Musical 1954, revived for 5 weeks at Lincoln Center in 1965 and done by NYCO. The score is still popular with at least 7 full-length recordings.
2. FIORELLO - Tony winner - a tie with SOUND OF MUSIC in 1960 - and also winner of the Pulitzer Prize. A charming book, a fantastic score by Bock and Harnick. The OCR is still available on CD, so why hasn't anyone revived the show?
3. IRMA LA DOUCE - Lively and funny with great score. The OCR is unending delight and having seen a staging locally some years ago the book is still very funny.
4. THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN - This one has some clumsy moments and would need a bit of trimming, but a great Meredith Wilson score.
5. CARNIVAL! - orig production got great reviews but how failed in London and on tour and no movie was ever made.
6. APPLAUSE - Yes it's a watered down version of ALL ABOUT EVE and the score has more misses than hits, but with the right star it can be entertaining.
7. I LOVE MY WIFE - keep it set in the 70's and it would still work. Cy Coleman's score is great fun and the script is an enjoyable farce.
8. BARNUM - another Cy Coleman show with a great leading role for a really dynamic performer
9. GRAND HOTEL - I'm not sure how well it would work with another director's concept but even a replica of thr Tommy Tune staging would be welcome.
10. CITY OF ANGELS - Tony winner and a big hit that utterly vanished once the Broadway production closed after 878 perfs.
Add others of your own but keep to the guidelines...
1. The original had to open before Dec 31, 1989 (More than 20 years ago)
2. The show had to have been a hit (no obscure flops like CARRIE)
3. The must not have received a full Broadway revival
Cast albums are NOT "soundtracks."
Live theatre does not use a "soundtrack." If it did, it wouldn't be live theatre!
I host a weekly one-hour radio program featuring cast album selections as well as songs by cabaret, jazz and theatre artists. The program, FRONT ROW CENTRE is heard Sundays 9 to 10 am and also Saturdays from 8 to 9 am (eastern times) on www.proudfm.com
#2re: 10 hit musicals that have NEVER been revived on Broadway
Posted: 9/5/09 at 3:31am
PIPPIN - Done all the time in high schools/community theatre, but has never had a single revival.
Everything in life...is only for now.
Updated On: 9/5/09 at 03:31 AM
#2re: 10 hit musicals that have NEVER been revived on Broadway
Posted: 9/5/09 at 3:32am
EVITA
1. Opened September 25, 1979
2. Critic-proof show in that despite tepid reviews, it won 7 Tonys (including Best Musical) and ran 1,567 performances (recouped)
3. Apart from a full-fledged London revival in 2006 (which I believe flopped), no Broadway transfer materialized
Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiae
Vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra
Salve, Salve Regina
Ad te clamamus exsules filii Eva
Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
O clemens O pia
Updated On: 9/5/09 at 03:32 AM
Vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra
Salve, Salve Regina
Ad te clamamus exsules filii Eva
Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
O clemens O pia
LuPonatic
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/12/06
After Eight
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/5/09
#4re: 10 hit musicals that have NEVER been revived on Broadway
Posted: 9/5/09 at 7:39am"Kismet" was kind of revived in a revised version called "Timbuktu."
After Eight
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/5/09
#5re: 10 hit musicals that have NEVER been revived on Broadway
Posted: 9/5/09 at 7:52amfrontrowcentre: Thank you for this list. I would love to see any and all of them, but truth to tell, with the possible exception of "Barnum," I don't think any of them would prove a money maker in a Broadway revival today.
husk_charmer
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/19/06
#6re: 10 hit musicals that have NEVER been revived on Broadway
Posted: 9/5/09 at 8:26amOk, somewhere in the back of my mind I'm recalling an issue with Irma LaDouce's writers being displeased with the English translation...which is why it hasn't been done again. Is that right, or am I mismembering?
http://www.youtube.com/huskcharmer
After Eight
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/5/09
#7re: 10 hit musicals that have NEVER been revived on Broadway
Posted: 9/5/09 at 8:34amActually, "Irma La Douce" was revived this past season in NYC by the Musicals Tonight company. I enjoyed it, and found the score as delightful as ever.
luvcaroline
Broadway Star Joined: 10/19/05
#8re: 10 hit musicals that have NEVER been revived on Broadway
Posted: 9/5/09 at 8:39amPROMISES, PROMISES. Huge hit in late 60's, early 70's (ran over 3 yrs) and has an amazing score. It may seem dated, but as long as it is kept as a 60's period piece it would easily work.
BrodyFosse123
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/27/06
#9re: 10 hit musicals that have NEVER been revived on Broadway
Posted: 9/5/09 at 9:02am
We seem to forget the one that has spawned countless threads on here:
#11re: 10 hit musicals that have NEVER been revived on Broadway
Posted: 9/5/09 at 9:29am
The Wiz
Best Little Whorehouse
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
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BrodyFosse123
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/27/06
#12re: 10 hit musicals that have NEVER been revived on Broadway
Posted: 9/5/09 at 9:34am
THE WIZ with the original production's Dorothy, Stephanie Mills was revived on Broadway in 1984.
#13re: 10 hit musicals that have NEVER been revived on Broadway
Posted: 9/5/09 at 9:37am
Well, your photo doesn't work, but your memory is working better than mine, Brody! Forgot about that short-lived '84 revival.
I almost said Oliver! too, and then remembered THAT short-lived revival.
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
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#14re: 10 hit musicals that have NEVER been revived on Broadway
Posted: 9/5/09 at 9:38am
I almost said Dreamgirls, but I looked it up and was obviously wrong.
was The Rink considered a hit?
When I see the phrase "the ____ estate", I imagine a vast mansion in the country full of monocled men and high-collared women receiving letters about productions across the country and doing spit-takes at whatever they contain.
-Kad
#15re: 10 hit musicals that have NEVER been revived on Broadway
Posted: 9/5/09 at 9:39am
But Whorehouse hasn't been revived, at least, and it ran over 1500 performances.
Cats counts, too.
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
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#16re: 10 hit musicals that have NEVER been revived on Broadway
Posted: 9/5/09 at 9:43amCALL ME MADAM
Cheyenne Jackson tickled me. AFTER ordering SoMMS a drink but NOT tickling him, and hanging out with Girly in his dressing room (where he DIDN'T tickle her) but BEFORE we got married. To others. And then he tweeted Boobs. He also tweeted he's good friends with some chick on "The Voice" who just happens to be good friends with Tink's ex. And I'm still married. Oh, and this just in: "Pettiness, spite, malice ....Such ugly emotions... So sad." - After Eight, talking about MEEEEEEEE!!! I'm so honored! :-)
#17re: 10 hit musicals that have NEVER been revived on Broadway
Posted: 9/5/09 at 9:45am
GYSPY. I know that's never been revived. Neither has GUYS AND DOLLS.
EDIT: Thought of another one (okay, a REAL one ...)
THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
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Updated On: 9/5/09 at 09:45 AM
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#18re: 10 hit musicals that have NEVER been revived on Broadway
Posted: 9/5/09 at 9:56amI'd really like a revival of Gypsy. It's about time.
#19re: 10 hit musicals that have NEVER been revived on Broadway
Posted: 9/5/09 at 9:57amEvery two years, like clockwork.
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
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#20re: 10 hit musicals that have NEVER been revived on Broadway
Posted: 9/5/09 at 10:00am
The Will Rogers Follies
...not that I'm suggesting it SHOULD be revived, but it was a big hit, ran just under 1,000 performances, and won Best Musical.
Ugh.
EDIT: But it opened in 1991. It's only 18 years old now, not 20.
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
Updated On: 9/5/09 at 10:00 AM
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
#21re: 10 hit musicals that have NEVER been revived on Broadway
Posted: 9/5/09 at 10:01amWhorehouse had a "return engagement" in '82. It was only a few months after the original closed, but you could call it a revival since The Wiz and Dreamgirls had the same scenario and we call those revivals, too.
"Sing the words, Patti!!!!" Stephen Sondheim to Patti LuPone.
#22re: 10 hit musicals that have NEVER been revived on Broadway
Posted: 9/5/09 at 10:03am
They weren't revivals. They just changed theatres with the exact same cast and show. Since the run stopped for a few weeks to do it, the Broadway databases seem to think this means it's a "revival."
It's not.
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
esparza 333
Broadway Star Joined: 7/24/07
#23re: 10 hit musicals that have NEVER been revived on Broadway
Posted: 9/5/09 at 10:04amIf Applause came back I would love to see Allison Janney in it.
Current Avatar:The sensational Aaron Tveit in the soon to be hit production of Catch Me If You Can.
#24re: 10 hit musicals that have NEVER been revived on Broadway
Posted: 9/5/09 at 10:35am
The one Best Musical that I am 100% sure will never be revived, despite the fact that it won 6 Tonys and ran for over 600 performances:
Jerome Robbins' Broadway.
The show lost money the first time around, and a Broadway revival would be prohibitively expensive. And the demands of the show (the show had a cast of 62) make a local production impossible to pull off. So not only will it never be revived on Broadway, it will never be revived anywhere.
Which makes me sad because it means that there is no chance that I will ever see every Tony-winning Best Musical.
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